ok guys my Dakota needs upper control arm bushings BAD, theres MAJOR play in all 4 so i ordered them, they will be here Monday and I'm wondering , since I have never doe them before, do I have to remove the control arm? or can I simply raise the thing by the tire until all the load is off of them and them pound them out and in?

 

Well, you'll have to remove the control arm from the frame, unless you're very, Very, VERY good at working around the engine.

You can leave it on jackstands on the FRAME - ON THE FRAME!!! - and NOT ON THE TIRE!!! - and unbolt from the frame, spin the control arm around, and do it that way.

I think you'll get very, VERY frustrated not having it in a vice while you're using the air chisel to drive the old bushings out, but hey, knock yourself out.

RwP

 

I just did mine a couple weeks ago and I don't see how you could possibly do it without taking the control arm off. They're pressed in there and were a major pain even with the arm off the truck.

I used my ball joint press tool to press the old ones out and was able to get one new one on each side that way. The way the rod goes through the middle prevents you from doing that to both sides. I resorted to putting it in the vise and using an axle nut to go around the threads and hit that with my deadblow to set the second one.

Also plan on an alignment after this, your camber will be all kinds of wonky. I did my ball joints and tie rods at the same time while I had it apart. Rock Auto has/had Dakota parts on manufacturer clearance recently, I got Moog ball joints for $9-12each vs the $65ea that advance wanted. They came in boxes that looked like they were lost in a warehouse since the late 90s, but they worked great. Might be something to consider doing if you're taking it apart anyway.

 

Yea.....I'm kinda scared to break loose the two alignment bolts cause knowing the rest of this truck either they will break and I'm done or they will strip he holes out and I'm done with a nice running truck on jack stands for ever I'm thinking if I work slowley around the engine maybe I could push them out, theres enough movement I think they are loose anyway just from being worn out

 

Nice find on the ball joints, when I did mine I had a rock auto coupon that actually brought the price down lower than the shipping and taxes LOL
my control arm bushings were 12 and I just ordered to new hubs assys for 108 with yet ANOTHER coupon

 

Wolfen look through the 95 Factory Service Manual in the FAQ section. You will have to remove the arm unless you are the hulk. And if you are the hulk you won't fit so you'll have to remove the control arm If its the same or similar...On my little ram50 truck I had to release the lower control arm (I think its taking the nut off the lower ball but I was rebuilding all the moving parts so I took it all apart) and remove the shock and spring to take all the pressure off then I took the two bolts that held the upper control arm cross member piece that has to come out to get at the bushings.

Buick keep an eye on those ball joints. I did mine on the little truck a few years ago (Moog/Rock Auto/Cheap) and months later I noticed a grease zirc cap on the ground. I got down to look for where and saw one of the lower ball joints grease bulb has torn all the way around. They replaced it no problem but its still something to watch for. This may be one of those "problems" with Chinese made Moog stuff IDK.

 

I've been hearing all about this China Moog deal the past couple of years, most China Moog parts that I have been seeing have been for newer vehicles, and at that they have 2 lines of parts now a days, the ones with an rk prefix is the cheaper one, the ck is better line. But for our trucks I still see alot of old looking stock that is marked made in the USA.

But in my job as a fleet mechanic for the state, I see a whole lot of various brands and we'll say quality levels of parts come thru, and if I were to bet on suspension parts I will still take my chances on Moog over anybody else.
When I did the front end on my 92, my 96 and my 99 Dakotas, I used all moog, alot came from those clearance deals via rock auto, and the only parts that I got that said made in China were (I forget which) either the inner tie rod ends on my 96 (the only 4wd of the bunch) or the tie rod adjuster sleeves. All else was USA made Moog.
You run a better chance of getting the"good old stock" from places like Rock Auto clearance or a good old school parts store that has been around a while. What front end parts I don't get from rock Auto all come from a federated brand parts store that has been going as long as I have been around and the counter guys have been around longer than me.

On the control arm bushings .no there is no way around removing the control arm to do them, and you need to jack up on the lower control arm to safely remove the upper arm. No other way to do it
Stands under the frame are fine but you still need to jack up under that lower arm while you pull the upper off. Those bushings aren't all that bad. One thing I do is to take the control arm outside and burn the remnants of the old rubber out with a propane bottle torch. Then grab the shaft in a vise and spin the nuts off the control arm shaft with an impact markbthm control arm shaft for both which side of control arm it was in and also "this side up"

 

Ahhhh yes, I'm not the hulk.....BUT I am 2 things, VERY HARDCORE determined and inventive so if its possible to do it without ending up needing an alignment I can do it

 

volaredon......what state I'm a general Utility worker for NC

 

You might be able to keep your alignment close by drawing lines with a paint marker across the bolts before disassembly, then try to line them back up after.

also, the female threads are in the control arm rod, so worst case you can get another from the junkyard, it won't mess up anything on the frame. Blast them with PB a few hours before you tear into it and pray they come loose easy. My Milwaukee 1/2" impact took them right off no problem.

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